Tie-plate.



soted ties or with ties given a similar super- T o all whom. it vitryconcern.: Be it known that I, Mounts SELLERS, a citizen of the UnitedStates', residing at (Thicago, in the count v of Cook and State ofIllinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inTie-Plates, of which the following'is a specification.

)Iy invention relatesi to railroad-rail tieplates and has for its objectto provide a tie'l z plate which shall have projecting ribs on its undersurface so arrangedgand-constructed l as togive the plate an effectivegrip or an# c horage on the tie withl a minimum .of injurionsdisturbance of the fibersof the wood at the surface of the tie and, atthe same time,

to prevent the rotting of tlie portion of the i p ate, b v the exclusiontie covered by the therefrom of water.

T he invention, in one of its preferred em f bodiiiients, is illustratedin the accompany- 5 ino' drawings, in which' igure 1 is a perspectiveview of a tie plate i of niv invention in position on the tie with A therail seated thereon.

ed plain view of the tie late; and Fig. 3 is a.

section on line 3-3 of ig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows,showing'also portions ofthe rail and tie.'

Like characters of referenceindicate like .parts in the several figuresof the drawings.

4 represents a tie, 5 an ordinarj T-rail, and 6 a tie plate providedwith the upstanding rib T, against which the rail flange abuts, andperforated at S, S, S, for the usual '5 s ikes 9. Aiivother means may heein# p oved for holding the rail flange, tie plate It has been usual torovide` the under side ol"` tie plates of this c aracter with sharcutting edges or ribbed cut into the bodyV of thev and tie together.

projections wliic tie and form an anchorage for the plate. 'Devices ofsuch character obviously cut and disturb the fibers of the tie andthereby increase the susceptibility 'of the tie to rot. i

This is particularly objectionable with creocial treatment. The spikecuts through the treated portion of the wood at' the surface and g letswater through into the untreated part.

parts not so covei'ed.` T is is because the water, which may run freelyoft and evaporate from the uncovered part of the tie, collects andstands under the tie plate, causing STATES PATENT oFFiCE.

j iioiiiis SELLERS, ociiicact, iLLixois.

Specification of Letters Patent.

F ig. 2 is an invert- 'Trzmirri.l fi

l the tie eventually to rot in these places. In order to obviate'theseseveral disadvantages, i I provide the under surface of the tie platewith ribs which are more r less shallow and i blunt, so that-thejv crushand grip the fiber of j the wood rather than cut into the saine. Inorder to get av roper grip on the tie, a number of these ri s are proided. Preferably, the ribs, at the center o the late at least Vseatinglines, indicated by the lnumeral 10 in I-the drawings., The'whole undersurface of the plate may be provided with diagonal ribs of this sort, ifdesired. This construction, it i wilhbe-seen, divides the surface of theplate into\ a number of inclosed s aces 11 separated Patented. Aug. 4,1908. appiicaaonaiea February i. isos.: serial iiaaiaais.l

Y -i ext'end diagonally across the p ate in interfroni`\each other bythe ri s. By nicans of this arrangement of the ribs, water will notpenetr te for any considerable distance iinder the vplat-e and the platewill Grip the fiber g of the 'wood in all direction-s. I also toconstruct the plate witha rib 12, w iicli 'I term aA box rib, and which'runs entirely around the under face of the late near the edge. This iibaids in giving tlie plate a grip refer' upon the tie and also serves toexclude inoislower than the ribs at the center part' of the ture.Preferably this rib is made somewhat plate, so that the greater pressureat the center will not cause the breaking of the plate.

This arrangement of diagonal, intersecting ribs and a box rib gives theplate a firm grip on the tie, without cuttiii or penetrating the tie,and effectively exclut es water.

In practice it has been found that where plates, even though the waterdoes not penetrate deeply in the' tie, a softening of the fiber i anddisiiite ration of the ,tie rapidly ensues.

l Consequent y while the box rib may assist by,

' but, as is well known, when moisture enteis between the tie and therail, the electrical i eonductivityof the tie is greatly vincreasedParallel Vribs 13, 13 may also he provided.

moisture enters between the tie and the tielos block signal systems. Forsuch purposes the rail will be sufficiently insulated f ioin the earthby the wooden ties when the tie is dry, Y

i'io

and the aggregate loss of current or voltage i but with the rail andspikes in lace, such resulting therefrom is very noticeable andexceedingly objectionable; l

Y'Yhere my improved tie plate is used, substantially all of that portionof the tie surface which contacts with the tie plate, which in turnmakes Contact with the. rail, is kept dry at all timesand that portionof the tie sur- 'face which contacts iyith the tie plate, but is not soprotected, is so limited in area. that it. v 'will readilydry out. Theresult is that for times restsupon ry wood, which sufficientlyins'ulates the rail to prevent ob'ectionable .loss of voltage in `thesignal currenis sent over the rail.

- The arrangement of diagonal ribs shown in the drawings is effective inexcluding moisture from thatl part of the tie surface covered by thatportion of the plate provided with diagonal ribs. In the preferred form,the plurality of intersecting'ribs, whether of di;

agonal arrangement or otherwise, under th at V portion of the tie platewhich directly carries the'rail base, serves to give the tie plate therequired grip upon the tie surface, while the marginal or box ribeffectively excludes moisture.

. y Obviously with an article used in such vastz numbers as tie plates;Qits utility largely depends upon its being-of such a character that 1tmay be ra idly and cheaply made from the most. suitable materials. 'Myimproved tie plate has notlonly the service advent-a es described,arising from the character of t ie ribs upon its under face, but thoseribs are of such a character and are susceptible of such an arg i alltheway around such surface andnear the rangement as to permit'ofproducing these tie plates not only by rolling, but by a very simplerolling process eliminating most of the successive steps 1which arenecessary in rolling tieplates with projecting s ikes oi' ribs which aredriven into the tie. onsequently :by my invention I am enabled toproduce a tie piate of Wrought iron or steel having a maximum of utilityand at a mimimum of cost. These plates are preferably rolled in anordinary rolling null from wrought iron,

all practical puposes the tiel plate at all which is the material bestadapted for use in i-such an article and to resist erosion andcorrosion.

While I have referred to the ribs on my tie plate as being non-cutting,it should be understood that, while such ribs may superto a triflingextent cut it, the term noncutting is used toL distinguish these ribsfrom ribs which so penetrate the tie, in a manner similari() thepenetration by a spike, as to constitute attaching members. The ribs onmy tie plate do not constitute attachiizgmembers and, `when the spikesare remarried, the plates may be lifted from the tie,

Yf'iciall-y crush or break the fiber and possibly l i i ribs grip thetie so as to prevent ateral displacement ofthe tie. plate. The

embed themselves in the surface of the tie y crushingint'o. the fibersufficiently for this urpose. .wish it to be understood that lido not desire to limit myself to the exact constructions and arrangements shownin thedrawuws., as seine modifications might be made without departurefrom my invention,

I claim:

1. A railway tie plate, the under surface such box rib, substantially asand for the purpose described.

3. A railway Atie plate, the under surface of anda plurality ofintersecting r1 within 1 which is lrovided with a box` rib extendin iall aroun such surface near the edge thereo and aipluralitv of.intersecting ribs in the center of the plate within such box rib, thevertical dimension of the box rib bein less than that of the centralribs, substantia ly as` and for the purpose described.

. 4. A railway tie plate, thevunder Surface of! which is rovided with aplurality of ribs dividing a l of such surface int() a plurality ofcompletely inclosed spaces, substantially as' and for the'pu osedescribed.

.5. Arailway Aie plate, the under surfacecf which is provided Wit-h abox-rib extending edge thereof, and a plurality 'of intersecting ribsrunning diagonally across such surface and dividir: the same into aseries of inclosed s aces, suostantially as and for tlie purposeescrib'ed.

6. A railway tie plate, providedt'onitsA under side with a p urality ofnoncutting ribs adapted to be embedded in the surface of the tie andarranged to substantiall ei.:- clude moisture from entering betweelit etie and the tie late.

7. A tie pllate, provided on its under surface with a plurality ofnon-cutting ribs adapted to be embedded in the tie directly under therail, so as to prevent lateral displacement of the tie plate,-said tieplate being" provided on its under surface with other non-cutting,marginal ribs extending all around such surface, whereby moisture issubstantially excluded from admission Vbci tween t-he tie plate -and thetie. y MORRIS SELLERS.Y-

Witnesses:

JOHN M. SELLERS, G. Y. Smm-Em

